Velaphi Khumalo found guilty of hate speech

Johannesburg – Velaphi Khumalo, who posted racial slurs against white people in a Facebook tirade two years ago, has been found guilty of hate speech by the Equality Court in the South Gauteng High Court on Friday.

The Gauteng Department of Sport, Arts and Culture official was also directed by the court to apologise to all South Africans, SA Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) Gauteng provincial manager Buang Jones tweeted on Friday.

”Velaphi Khumalo’s utterances have been declared to be hate speech. He has been interdicted from repeating utterances and ordered to publish a written apology directed at all South Africans. Apology shall be communicated to SAHR Commission for further dissemination Copy of the dossier of papers filed to be submitted to the Director of Public Prosecutions,” Jones tweeted.

Khumalo stood trial for his utterances calling on ”cleansing the country of white people”.

He posted these on Facebook in wake of Penny Sparrow comparing black beachgoers to monkeys in the same year.

Khumalo posted in January 2016: ”We must act as Hitler did to the Jews. I don’t believe any more that the is a large number of not so racist whit people. I’m starting to be sceptical even of those within our Movement the ANC. I will from today unfriend all white people I have as friends from today u must be put under the same blanket as any other racist white because secretly u all are a bunch of racist f*** heads. as we have already seen.”

His tirade drew widespread condemnation. He reportedly apologised to the ANC and paid a R30 000 fine.

Khumalo’s case was brought to court by the SAHRC after it received 19 complaints. His legal representative argued that his client was responding to Sparrow’s racist remarks against black people. The commission asked the court to impose a fine on Khumalo and that he make an open unconditional apology.